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OK, I've been flying dual line kites for a few year now, off and on. I'm not much for all the latest tricks, mostly just like to fly. I like the more slow motion precision type of flight. I'm in the market for a low wind kite and thought I would ask here, should I consider a quad?

Oh and I'm in Kentucky, so there are virtually no active kite flyers around, zero quads, so I can't just go try one.

(Actually I did fly one once, in 2004 in Long Beach, Wa. a guy named John Barresi, nice guy, let me crash his Revolution several times. Only found out much later that he's famous in the kiting world)

OK, I've been flying dual line kites for a few year now, off and on. I'm not much for all the latest tricks, mostly just like to fly. I like the more slow motion precision type of flight. I'm in the market for a low wind kite and thought I would ask here, should I consider a quad?

From what you just described, I think you would REALLY enjoy a "Rev", and not just on low wind days.

I'm pretty sure I'd like to try a quad, but the wind conditions here are pretty bad. I fear learning to fly a quad in low and variable winds might just be frustrating.

I've been watching a couple quad videos and it appears that the very first skill are a hover in the center of the wind and then slowly learn controlled up /down / left/ right movement in the upright kite position. Is that correct? How hard is that, John B. makes it look easy, but then again he makes it all look easy. What are the basic learning curve steps?

The dual line kite I was considering is a Skyburner Nik-Nak on the Kitelife classified section ($90, new) any opinions on this kite?

Light wind is challenging. My first Rev was a Supersonic and it needs a bit of wind. And the inputs are completely different for quads than what you're used to for duals. Learning to fly a light wind quad might be more of a challenge if you're just getting started.

Light wind duals can be a different flying experience because you have to finesse the kite. You might like a good UL or SUL because you already have the basic skills. I've seen that some people like the 4D by Prism.

You've got a pretty good handle on the beginning steps to fly a quad. Like any kite they can be frustrating in marginal winds, I personally find them more frustrating then a comparably priced dual YMMV. As for the Nik Nak it's a good low wind kite but limited, if you're not looking for all the tricks but interested in something to fly basic fly around and maybe some old school flat spin stuff then go for it

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"Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see" John W Lennon

"People do not quit playing because they grow old, they grow old because they quit playing" George Bernard Shaw

In normal winds, lots of people love quads, others not so much. You should try it out (either by buying or by flying OPKs) to find out which you are.

I love flying and don't especially love hovering, and quad flying -- even flying fast -- always seems like a version of hovering to me. I bought a Rev well used, flew it enough to master the basics, then re-sold it.

My go-to kite in next-to-no wind now is an Aerobe, aka Wala. One line, glider-fighter kite when the wind is ultralight. I've also got some SUL and indoor 2 stringers, but they've mostly been staying in the bag. If gliding then turning and flying a kite in no wind sounds like fun, try an Aerobe, or maybe a Focus Kites Skate. (I prefer the Aerobe, but the Skate is a better slow glider.)

There's a thread here discussing those two and the Horvath glider-kites and others. The YouTube video of Daryl Yeh flying his "Zen kite" -- maybe especially the one where he's flying it indoors while sitting in a chair -- are pretty magical extreme examples of what's possible with one string and zero wind. But if you track down videos of Lam Hoac or others flying SUL quad indoors, you'll see some magic there, too.

I'm with some of the others, a good UL or SUL two line for low winds. You might consider a quad for the other end of the wind spectrum however, get a fully vented quad for those times a dual is a drag in high winds.

I'm with stream on this one. Looking at my vented dualies the other day, I was thinking that outside of a competition they are not likely to see much air time. If the wind is up enough to keep a fully vented Rev in the air, the rest of the kite bag usually takes a back seat.

For SLKs, the HQ Hybrid 200 is really a treat. It is lighter and floatier than the Big Wala and trickier than the Skate. The Hybrid 240 is supposed to be better, though I've never tried it.

you CAN fly quads in no wind, for me it's sort of my speciality. Yes there's a steep learning curve in the beginning. Traveling to one of the kite comps or festivals will actually save you lots of time and funds, so I highly recommend you consider it. One weekend will save a couple of years of agony and thousands of dollars!

The usual things needed include, A specialized SUL kite, lighter weight sticks, longer throw handles, plenty of "down" in your tuning (get that sail square to the wind! Adding forward drive is actually bleeding off the air pressure along the trailing edge and completely counter-productive!)

Shorter length lines make less slack to overcome but also things happen quicker. A good length to learn on is 85 to 90 feet. A good short length is 50 feet, indoor is less then 25 all the way down to less than double digit numbers.

An SUL will fly fine is a steady breeze less than 10 mph, STEADY is the key. Spend some quality time determining when you will fly your kite. The location is almost more important than the tools to be used there, no trees, buildings, hills or other turbulence makers!

Go onto the REVkiteDOTcom web-site for additional information. I have a couple of great flying kites that need a new home (so I can buy another new one naturally, misses says "sell 2 to buy one, you own too many already!")

Check the AKA website for a calendar of events. Pick one of 'em and go, introduce yourself and ask for assistance. We quad-heads are a tight bunch and you'll be one of us from that first day!

You should learn how to adjust your lines, adjust your tuning, set-up and store your equipment, how to launch and roll-over after impacting mother earth.

Get comfortable with the kite flying inverted, inches off of the ground. Fly waist-high and then lower it gently back to the ground. Keep doing this one inverted rise thing until it's unconscious control. (a few hours is sufficient, off and on, so you don't get bored or too frustrated) Eventually you should be able to back-up inverted to the top of the wind window, straight like the kite was riding on railroad tracks ~ this will take many thousands of hours to make the action appear effortless, smooth and magical.

Our club's website is wowKITEclubDOTcom, if you ever head towards the mid-atlantic states, check out the calendar and send one of the officers an email so we can be there for you.

Many individuals have helped me out over the years, I still owe a lot of giving back!-REVflyer

I'm with some of the others, a good UL or SUL two line for low winds. You might consider a quad for the other end of the wind spectrum however, get a fully vented quad for those times a dual is a drag in high winds.

Bill

I enjoy flying my vented Quads a lot more than I ever did enjoy flying a vented dualie. In high winds, the control forward and having brakes is a fine thing.I've almost moved totally to Rev. Still have one each of my Bluemoons, but they spend a lot of time in the bag.

Having been a flyer for 20+ yr, I put down my duals about 5 yr ago to concentrate on revs and slks. Don't regret it in the least! The slks go up and then the revs come out. High winds, low winds, no winds I fly and have a blast. What more can I say?

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